The Department of State Services (DSS) has arraigned five suspected members of a criminal gang allegedly responsible for the abduction of 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members and another victim in Imo State.

The suspects were brought before the Justice Oputa State High Court in Owerri on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, following their arrest during intelligence-led security operations in Rivers and Abia states.

The suspects were identified as Ibrahim Jiji, Aminu Haliru, Mohammed Ali, Usman Aliyu, and Babangida Aliyu.

They were accused of involvement in the abduction that occurred on October 1 near Umunoha in the Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State.

The victims were travelling along the Owerri–Onitsha Expressway in two commercial buses en route to their assigned NYSC orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom states when they were attacked by gunmen.

The 20 prospective corps members and another civilian were subsequently rescued on October 7 during a joint security operation at Amakohia Ubi Village in Imo State.

Security operatives arrested the five suspects during a series of intelligence-led operations conducted between October 10 and 14 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, and Aba South Local Government Area of Abia State.

Three other suspected members of the gang reportedly escaped during the operations with varying degrees of gunshot injuries, prompting security agencies to intensify efforts to apprehend them.

The arrests followed a sustained manhunt by the DSS, military, police, and other security operatives to track down those allegedly responsible for the abduction.

The arraignment marks a further step in efforts to prosecute the suspects and dismantle the criminal network linked to the kidnapping.

Further details of the court proceedings were not immediately available as of the time of filing this report.